Low volume drumhead

ABSTRACT

According to some embodiments, a low volume drumhead is disclosed. The low volume drumhead comprises a mesh layer to be removably coupled to a drum hoop. The low volume drumhead further comprises a non-mesh layer affixed to a beatable surface of the mesh layer. An adhesive comprising elastic polymers is used to couple the mesh layer to the non-mesh layer.

BACKGROUND

A drum kit is a collection of drums and other percussion instruments,such as cymbals, which are set up on stands to be played by a singlemusician. To play a drum kit, drumsticks are typically held in each handand the feet operate one or more pedals to control cymbals or a beaterfor a bass drum. In a band situation, the drum kit is the loudestacoustic instrument and, because the volume of the drums kit, amplifierswere created to overcome the volume of drums. To lower the volume of thedrum kit, a mesh drumhead was created to allow a drum to be played at alower volume than ordinary drumheads. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a meshdrumhead 100 has a mesh beatable surface 110 (e.g., beatable by a drumstick) that is stretched on a metal loop 120. However, while meshdrumheads are lower in volume, they also fail to meet the needs ofprofessional musicians because of the poor sound quality generated whileusing these drumheads. Sounds from a mesh drumhead can be distorted andthe sonic quality is unlike the sound of traditional drumheads.Therefore, it would be desirable for a drumhead to be lower in volumeand still have the same sonic quality that desired by professionalmusicians.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments described herein relate to a low volume drumhead. Thelow volume drumhead may comprise a mesh layer to be removably coupled toa drum hoop. The low volume drumhead may further comprise a non-meshlayer that may be affixed to a beatable surface of the mesh layer. Anadhesive comprising elastic polymers may be used to couple the meshlayer to the non-mesh layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates a mesh drumhead.

FIG. 2 illustrates a drumhead in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a drumhead in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have notbeen described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments.

The present embodiments described herein relate to low volume acousticdrumhead that is lower in volume, in response to being struck, than aconventional drumhead but still has the sonic quality that is desired byprofessional musicians. In particular, the present embodiments relate toadding mass to a mesh-style acoustic drumhead by filling in a portion ofthe mesh to create a solid or semi-solid playing surface which may havethe effect of adding the sonic qualities back while keeping the volumeof the acoustic drumhead at a lower volume.

Conventional mesh drumheads create an almost completely “silent” drumsound due to the very small amount of mass being moved when the drumheadis struck by a drum stick. Adding mass such as, but not limited to,resin, an adhesive, a sheet of biaxially-oriented polyethyleneterephthalate (e.g., MYLAR), and/or a fiberglass sheets to the meshdrumhead that fills in a portion of the mesh (e.g., a plurality ofopenings in the mesh) may increase the volume of the drum and create adesirable sound. Moreover, the volume of the drumhead may be fine-tunedat a time of manufacture based on an amount of mass being added. In someembodiments, fine tuning may be based on varying a relative diameter ofa MYLAR or a fiberglass sheet to the underlying mesh drumhead during themanufacturing process that is placed over filled in mesh. The more massadded to the mesh drumhead, the greater the volume, with a continuousrange of drum sound volumes from almost silent to almost as loud as aconventional drumhead made exclusively of MYLAR or fiberglass. Also, theaddition of a mylar or fiberglass sheet to the top of the filled in meshdrumhead (e.g., filled in with rubber cement) may restore the right“feel” of the drumhead (e.g., how it responds to a strike from a drumstick) to an accomplished drum player as well as the correct sound thatan accomplished drummer expects. For example, simply using a sticker orsheet with a backing adhesive will only attach to a top surface of theexisting mesh (i.e. on an uppermost surface of the mesh but not betweenthe openings in the mesh) instead of adhering to a filled in meshsurface. Stickers or sheets with a backing adhesive may not produce aproper sound (e.g., resonate properly) or may become partially unstuckand produce a buzzing sound. For example, when a drumhead is tuned, thehead is stretched and the sticker may simply detach. Therefore, a filledin mesh, that creates a substantially solid surface, may be far moredesirable than using a sticker or pasted on sheet because it may producea more realistic sound and feel. Likewise, only filling in the mesh withan elastic or rubber-based non-adhesive material does not restore theright “feel” of the drumhead to an accomplished drum player (e.g., howit responds to a strike from a drum stick) because the elastic or rubberfiller deadens a recoil of the drum stick by making the surface softerthan traditional MYLAR. Moreover, the deadened strike from an elastic orrubber filler does not produce the sound that can be achieved from atraditional MYLAR drumhead.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a drumhead 200 is illustrated.The drumhead 200 may comprise a first layer 210 that includes a beatablesurface (e.g., beatable by a drum stick) where the beatable surfacefaces toward a musician. The first layer 210 may be stretched on a metalloop 120. The metal loop 120 may be inserted into a drum hoop (notshown) to stretch the first layer so that the drumhead may be tuned to adesired pitch. As such, the first layer 210 on the metal loop 120 may beremovably coupled to the drum hoop. The first layer 210 may be comprisedof a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based material. In someembodiments, the first layer 210 may be comprised of a polyestermonofilament. The first layer 210 may comprise the following properties:a material weight of 5.7 ounces per square yard; warp and fill deniers500/1; and a woven construction of 49×48. In some embodiments, the firstlayer 210 may comprise polypropylene. Furthermore, and as illustrated inFIG. 2, a second layer 230 may be affixed to a portion (e.g., a center)of the beatable surface of the first layer 210. The second layer 230 maynot be removably coupled to the drum hoop.

The second layer 230 may comprise, a non-mesh material, such as, but notlimited to, an adhesive, a resin, or one or more layers of fiberglass orbiaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (e.g., MYLAR). The secondlayer 230 may function to add mass back to the first layer 210. Forexample, in a case where the first layer 210 comprises a mesh drumhead(e.g., a MYLAR mesh drumhead), the second layer 230 may add mass back tothe mesh drumhead which may increase a volume sound produced by the meshhead as well as provide a change in the tone of the drumhead 200. Asillustrated, a diameter of the first layer 210 is greater than adiameter of the second layer 230. A volume of the drum may be based on asize of the second layer. For example, a larger second layer 230 may addmore mass back into the drumhead 200 and thus may produce more volume.As such, a variety of volumes of sound produced by drumheads may beproduced based on the size of the second layer 210. In some embodiments,the first layer 210 may be comprised of a first material and the secondlayer is comprised of a second material wherein the first material isdifferent than the second material. For example, the first layer 210 maybe comprised of nylon or MYLAR, or a combination thereof, and the secondlayer 230 may be comprised of MYLAR.

In some embodiments, the second layer 230 may comprise MYLAR and thesecond layer 230 may be affixed to the first layer 210 that is alsocomprised of MYLAR via an adhesive. The adhesive may comprise rubbercement (e.g., an adhesive comprising elastic polymers). An adhesivecomprising elastic polymers (e.g., rubber cement) may have an advantageover other adhesives in that it may fill in a plurality of openings inthe mesh to create a substantially solid or semi-solid surface and itmay stretch as the drumhead is tightened/tuned which may keep the secondlayer from tearing away (e.g., a hardened adhesive may crack whenstretched) from the first layer and the rubber cement may facilitate amore playable feel for a professional musician. However, in someembodiments, rubber cement may not be used on its own as it may remaintacky and pliable which may deaden the sound of a stick hitting thedrumhead or the rubber cement may adhere to the drum stick as the drumstick strikes the drumhead. Therefore, adding a MYLAR sheet over therubber cement solves the problem of tunability, feel and sound from adrumhead that produces a lower volume. In some embodiments, a surfacearea of the rubber cement adhesive is substantially the same as asurface area of the second layer 230.

In some embodiments, the second layer 230 may comprise MYLAR and thesecond layer 230 may be affixed to the first layer 210 via an adhesivecomprising elastic polymers. In some embodiments, the second layer 230may comprise a 7 mil to 10 mil circular sheet of MYLAR or fiberglass.

In some embodiments, three layers may be used to create a low volumedrumhead. In this embodiment, the second layer 230 may be affixed to abeatable surface of a first layer 210 and a third layer (not shown inFIG. 2) may be applied to an opposite side of the first layer 210 (e.g.,opposite from the second layer 230). This embodiment has an addedadvantage of preventing leakage of the adhesive from the top sidethrough the mesh drumhead to the bottom side since the third layer maycontain any such leakage.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a low volume drumhead 300 is illustrated. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the low volume drumhead 300 may comprise a firstlayer 310 with a beatable surface (e.g., beatable by a drum stick)facing toward a musician. A second layer 330 may be affixed to a portion(e.g., a center portion) of the beatable surface of the first layer 310via an adhesive 340. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the low volume drumhead300 may comprise the first layer 310 with a beatable surface (e.g.,beatable by a drum stick) facing toward a musician that is affixed tothe second layer 330. The second layer 330 may be affixed to a portion(e.g., a center portion) of the beatable surface of the first layer 310via rubber cement 340.

In some embodiments, instead of using rubber cement, the low volumedrumhead 300 that comprises the first layer 310 with a beatable surfaceand the second layer 330 may be constructed through a laminationprocess. In particular the second layer 330 may be laminated to aportion of the first layer 310 via a resin. The resin may be disposedbetween the first layer 310 and the second layer 330. The resin maycomprise at least one of epoxy, vinylester, a polyester resin and/orsilicone. In the present embodiment, heat may be used to laminate thesecond layer 330 and the resin to the first layer 320 to form a lowvolume drumhead 300. In some embodiments, the resin may only be used ona portion of the first layer 310 and the second layer 330. In someembodiments, the second layer 330 may be affixed to a portion (e.g., acenter portion) of the beatable surface of the first layer 310 viarubber cement 440 and double-sided tape. In this embodiment, rubbercement 440 may be used to secure a majority of the second layer 330while double-sided tape may be used to secure the edges of the secondlayer 330. This combination of rubber cement 440 and double-sided tapemay help prevent the second layer 330 from pulling up from the firstlayer 340 In some embodiments, the double-sided tape may be ⅛ to ½ inchin width. In some embodiments, only double-sided tape may be used.

This written description uses examples to disclose multiple embodiments,including the preferred embodiments, and also to enable any personskilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and usingany devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. Aspectsfrom the various embodiments described, as well as other knownequivalents for each such aspects, can be mixed and matched by one ofordinary skill in the art to construct additional embodiments andtechniques in accordance with principles of this application.

Those in the art will appreciate that various adaptations andmodifications of the above-described embodiments can be configuredwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the claims. Therefore, itis to be understood that the claims may be practiced other than asspecifically described herein.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A low volume tunable drumhead, comprising: a meshlayer comprised of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based materialstretched on a metal loop, where the first layer on the metal loop is tobe further stretched via a drum hoop so that the low volume drumhead istuned to a desired pitch; an adhesive to fill in a plurality of openingsin the mesh layer; and a non-mesh layer comprised of biaxially-orientedpolyethylene terephthalate affixed to a beatable surface of the meshlayer via the adhesive, wherein a diameter of the mesh layer is greaterthan a diameter of the non-mesh layer and wherein the adhesive isdisposed between the mesh layer and the non-mesh layer.
 22. The lowvolume tunable drumhead of claim 21, wherein a surface area of theadhesive is substantially the same as a surface area of the non-meshlayer.
 23. The low volume tunable drumhead of claim 21, wherein the meshlayer is comprised of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate andnylon.
 24. A low volume tunable drumhead, comprising: a mesh layer to bestretched on a metal loop, where the mesh layer on the metal loop is tobe further stretched via a drum hoop so that the low volume drumhead istuned to a desired pitch; an adhesive to fill in a plurality of openingswithin the mesh layer; and a non-mesh layer affixed to a beatablesurface of the mesh layer via the adhesive wherein the adhesive isdisposed between the mesh layer and the non-mesh layer.
 25. The lowvolume drumhead of claim 24, wherein a diameter of the mesh layer isgreater than a diameter of the non-mesh layer.
 26. The low volumedrumhead of claim 24, wherein the mesh layer is comprised of a firstmaterial and the non-mesh layer is comprised of a second material andwherein the first material is different than the second material. 27.The low volume drumhead of claim 24, wherein the mesh layer comprises apolyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based material.
 28. The low volumedrumhead of claim 24, wherein the mesh layer comprises nylon.
 29. Thelow volume drumhead of claim 28, wherein the non-mesh layer comprisesbiaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.
 30. The low volumedrumhead of claim 24, wherein the mesh layer comprises a combination ofnylon and biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.
 31. A lowvolume tunable drumhead, comprising: a mesh layer material stretched ona metal loop, where the mesh layer on the metal loop is to be furtherstretched via a drum hoop so that the low volume drumhead is tuned to adesired pitch; an adhesive to fill in a plurality of openings in themesh layer; and a non-mesh layer affixed to a beatable surface of themesh layer via the adhesive, wherein a diameter of the mesh layer isgreater than a diameter of the non-mesh layer wherein the adhesive isdisposed between the mesh layer and the non-mesh layer.
 32. The lowvolume drumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer is comprised of afirst material and the non-mesh layer is comprised of a second materialand wherein the first material is different than the second material.33. The low volume drumhead of claim 31, wherein the non-mesh layercomprises biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.
 34. The lowvolume drumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer comprises apolyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based material.
 35. The low volumedrumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer is comprised ofbiaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate and nylon.
 36. The lowvolume drumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer comprises nylon. 37.The low volume drumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer comprises amaterial weight of 5.7 ounces per square yard.
 38. The low volumedrumhead of claim 31, wherein the mesh layer comprises polypropylene.